The Master of Arts in Constitutional Government, Civics & Law (MACGCL) at Utah Valley University is offered by the Center for Constitutional Studies through the School of Education.
The MACGCL program was created specifically to help K-12 educators better understand and teach the ideas and practices critical to the perpetuation of constitutional government, ordered liberty, and the rule of law. However, this program can benefit anyone interested in studying the American constitutional order in a graduate degree program.
The program focuses on the foundations of the American political system through close readings of key texts in American constitutional and political history. It equips students with an understanding of the American Founding and the development of the constitutional system through the lens of history, political science, philosophy, and the law. Graduates will strengthen their ability to read carefully, think critically, and engage in civil discourse through speech and writing.
The MACGCL program can be completed in as few as 14 months. The program offers face-to-face and livestream (synchronous) classes during the summer semester and evening livestream (synchronous) and online (asynchronous) classes during the fall and spring semesters. All students in the "National Cohort" will follow the teaching track. Most of the students in the "Utah Cohort" will also follow the teaching track, though six seats are reserved for aspiring scholars in a research track. The program accepts at most 30 students in each of the two cohorts.
The teaching track enhances an individual’s ability to teach social studies in K–12 public and private schools and in higher education. Students complete two pedagogical courses and may participate in a study abroad in Pembroke College, Oxford for two weeks during the summer semester.
The research track prepares individuals to pursue doctoral graduate studies in constitutional law, history, or political science. Students complete two research courses and write a thesis. They may conduct thesis research in Oxford for four weeks during the fall semester.
MACGCL students are encouraged to participate in the UVU Study Abroad experience at Pembroke College, University of Oxford (England). Teaching track students take two classes on a study abroad visit during their second summer. Research track students have the opportunity of a four-week study abroad during their first Fall semester to conduct research in Oxford's historic libraries with the support of a personal mentor. The Oxford experience is not required; students may complete their courses locally.
These study abroad experiences are facilitated through the partnership between UVU's Center for Constitutional Studies and the Quill Project in Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Quill is a digital humanities project which examines the making of constitutions, treaties, and legislation. Its flagship project examined the work of the 1787 convention that created the U.S. Constitution.
Graduates of the Master of Arts in Constitutional Government, Civics, and Law can pursue careers in a variety of fields, including:
MACGCL is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
